The present invention generally relates to radio control (RC) units that are usable to maneuver a radio controlled vehicle, such as a small race car. More particularly, the present invention relates to a steering wheel adapted for connection to the finger dial of an RC control unit.
Radio controlled model vehicles, such as boats, aircraft and cars are a well-known and popular hobby among people of all ages. Various types of remote controllers are used to steer the vehicles during remote controlled operation. These remote controllers regulate the actual directional movement and speed of the remote controlled model vehicle. One type in particular, the hand-held radio remote control provides wireless control of a model vehicle using a rotatable dial, joy stick, switch, lever or other mechanism to control the direction of the model vehicle. For example, a typical RC control unit used for racing an RC model car is in the form of a hand-held unit with a trigger for controlling the acceleration and deceleration of the RC car, and a finger dial for controlling the direction of the car. However, controlling the direction utilizing a finger dial is quite difficult as the relatively small size of the finger dial and the relatively large size of the human hand turning the dial do not provide the user the ability to make fine adjustments in direction in a limited period of time as the relatively small diameter of the dial may cause a user to turn the dial too far or too little.
Various attempts have been made to improve remote control of model vehicles. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,495 discloses a remotely controlled vehicle and controller. However, this controller relies on a small steering wheel finger dial such as that described above. This steering wheel likewise suffers from the defect in that the relatively small size of the steering wheel prevents fine adjustment of direction. In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,459 discloses a remote toy steering mechanism. However, this steering mechanism is similar in size to a conventional steering wheel and is not capable of being used in conjunction with a hand-held remote control unit.
Accordingly, there is a need for a remote control unit with an improved steering wheel. There is a further need for a remote control steering wheel that is larger than conventional finger dials yet small enough to be integrated on a conventional hand-held remote control unit. There is an additional need for a remote control steering wheel that is adaptable to a conventional remote control unit. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.